Something Fishy

Friday, April 17, 2015

There isn't much of anything better than a plate of fried morels

Black morels, which usually appear before white and yellow mushrooms, are just as tasty fried as their counterparts, which follow.

Brother-in-law Paul Cooper stopped by and announced he brought a surprise. It was a good one. Morel mushrooms.

Paul, who is a great “shroomer”, hadn’t found any, but managed to buy a pound of wild yellow morels that had been shipped for sale at a market near Bainbridge, IN.

Upon his arrival, the valuable fungi cargo was placed in the refrigerator. My obligation was to obtain steak for the next night, and Paul would do the cooking.

“What else do you need for the cooking?”, I asked.

Paul indicated I probably had everything needed, but he needed a stick of butter. I use the make-believe butter stuff, but said I would obtain the real stuff for the mushroom cooking. I also obtained a pound of shrimp to enjoy during the cooking. What a feast.

Paul cooks morels slightly different than my routine.

He rolls them in a batter of egg and flour. He likes to fry them in a cast iron skillet. He melts a stick of butter in the pan, and then adds fresh cooking oil, frying them golden brown.

Many people cook them many different ways.

My cooking process varies a little, but if I have enough, I always fry them. Maybe not the healthiest, but the way I like them.

Morels fried are delicious, especially with steak or a platter of walleye, crappie or bluegill.

When I return home from a hunt in the woods with mushrooms, I cut them in two pieces lengthwise. Rinse off any dirt and bugs, and place them in a bowl of salt water. I let them soak in the salty water overnight to kill any bugs missed in rinsing. There will be some.

When I’m ready to cook them, I rinse them again. Next I roll them in flour, salt and pepper, and place them in a skillet with about a half inch of hot canola oil.

However, I cook up several cut up pieces of bacon in the skillet for flavor, before adding the oil. In my opinion, it enhances the taste.

I cook them until golden brown, then place them on paper towels to drain prior to serving with the rest of the meal. Unfortunately, I seem to sample so many, it’s tough to cook a serving plate full. Don’t put paper towels on top of the fried morels or place them in layers after cooking. It makes them soggy.

Ron Kruger, writer friend from Missouri. posted on Facebook on the internet, “I finally found a few mushrooms.” He said his favorite way to cook them is to flour and sauté them in butter, then cook them in eggs.”

I like Ron’s method, if I only have a few morels early in the season. I cook them the same way and finish them in scrambled eggs.